North Carolina coach Roy Williams turned his back from the action to converse with his bench players 11 times during the Coaches vs. Cancer final last week at Madison Square Garden.

On six of those occasions, he stared and spoke directly to one player: Dexter Strickland.

Not because Strickland was in trouble, mind you. Hardly the case. More so, it’s because Williams sees something truly special in this freshman guard from Rahway, N.J. Williams knows it. Strickland, a former McDonald’s All-American, knows it. And anyone who watched the No. 11 Tar Heels’ bench with intent during that 87-71 loss to

No. 10 Syracuse, knows it, too.

“Dexter is having a little bit of a challenge, and that’s OK. We are asking him to play point guard, and he hasn’t had that experience yet,” Williams said. “But down the line, he’s going to be a very good player.”

Considering he’s still trying to find his college basketball identity overall — while playing for the defending national champions, no less — he’s well on his way. Not only is the 6-foot-3,

180-pound graduate of St. Patrick’s in Elizabeth adapting to life as a Tar Heel, the former sharp-shooting two guard is being converted — slowly — over to the point.

“I’m just looking at it as a learning experience,” said Strickland, who is averaging 14.2 minutes for the Heels (5-1). “Coach Roy has faith in me, and while it’s a challenge, I’m going to make it.”

Because of the switch — and because North Carolina has a few other quality scorers, obviously — the offense isn’t there for Strickland so far, and might not be all season. But what’s important, as a point, are his average assists

(11, not bad) and turnovers (12, needs improvement).

“There’s a lot of pressure for any freshman who has garnered the awards that he did,” Williams said. “And when you come to North Carolina, people expect you to be really good, so that adds to it certainly.”

But Strickland loves the pressure. You can tell that by the way he speaks. There may be a lot of adjustments occurring on the court. But, off the court, he’s fit into Chapel Hill like a glove. And, here’s a shocker: He enjoys life on campus as a Tar Heel.

“It’s the greatest feeling in the world,” he said. “For the first few days, I was still so new. It felt like I was still on my recruiting visit. But once classes began, and I started to meet friends outside of basketball, it hit me: This is some place.”

And some team. Despite the setback to Syracuse, the Heels appear loaded with youth and skill as they try to defend their title.

“They have of a lot of new players,” said Ohio State coach Thad Matta, whose No. 17 Buckeyes fell to the Heels, 77-73, in the Coaches vs. Cancer semis. “One thing Roy does, and does it well, is he’ll put those young guys in there in crucial situations early. That’s how he shows them just how hard it is to win, and it allows them to know what it takes to win.”

Count Strickland in that category. He understands what Williams’ major motivation is, regardless of how often he gets spoken to.

“Coach Roy is thinking about my future, too,” Strickland said. “He knows that if I get to the NBA, I’m probably going to be a point guard. This will prepare me for

that time.”

For now, though, he is the backup to sophomore Larry Drew II. He’s soaking everything in … and loving every minute of it.

“I have no complaints,” he said with a laugh. “Trying to develop that point-guard mentality — getting back on defense, knowing where all of your teammates need to be on the floor, getting everyone involved — it’s a whole new mindset for me. But I’ve been watching film, and I’m working on it constantly.”